Speaking at the Convention later during the day, Mr Babul Supriyo, Union Minister of State, Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises
said the government has provided incentives for electric mobility and policies would support electrical vehicles. He further added that “the increased focus on safety, is impacting the technological development in the auto industry,”

Mr John Simlett, Global Leader future of mobility, (E&Y) said, 78 per cent of investors feel that disruptions readiness will become decision-making factor for investments over the next five years. “The future will be less about the advance technology and more about new ways of applying it.” When we talk about 'Mobility Revolution' it is more about new and easy ways of applying technology.

Mr Felix Kuenhert, Partner & Global Automotive Leader, PwC said “Decades back, the auto industry was volatile. However it is now thriving with growth in emerging markets andautomotive manufacturers have successfully managed cost and profit.” India has a substantial contribution in overall growth of the auto industry, he pointed out.

Mr Guenter Butschek, CEO & Managing Director, Tata Motors said “There must be diffusion across industries, a connected vehicle platform, and inclusivity in order to revolutionize mobility. We envision E-mobility as the future with better support through incentivisation,” Mr Peyman Kargar, Chairman, Nissan Africa, Middle East and India Region was of the view that a car should be the third place where a customer feels good between home and workplace. India, he said is soon going to become the 3rd largest in car sales by 2022. In regards to 'Mobility Revolution' there are two big challenges at hand, in the form of global warming and congestion, he explained.

Mr Sumit Sawhney, Country CEO & Managing Director, Renault India
said the automotive is the second largest industry after textile and employment generated by auto industry is not limited to car companies but also the dealership, vendor units besides other stakeholders. Owing to involvement of different stakeholders, the policies cannot be implemented without the support of the state government. “We need one road - one tax regime. We do see a genuine intent from the government to bring in change and the auto industry is ready to work together with the government to bring in desired change,” he added.

Mr Swatantra Dev Singh, Transport Minister, Uttar Pradesh government said his state is an important market for the auto industry as it is changing considerably. “Road safety has been a key concern for us We have established driver training schools across the state with prime focus in rural areas. We have also started the online tax payment services and perhaps are the first ones to do so”.” Mr Singh informed.

Mr Kailash Gahlot, Transport Minister, Delhi government said Delhi has one of the most progressive road safety policy and his government has an ambitious target to bring down the accident rate by 80 per cent. “There is a need for constructive collaboration between the state government and auto industry to tackle challenges like charging infrastructure and using the bus depot spaces for electrification of public transport. We are currently working on an electric vehicle policy and should sooncome up with one,” said Mr Gahlot.

Mr K N Radhakrishnan, President & CEO, TVS Motor Company said challenges are huge but there are opportunities as value chain shifts.

Dr Dirk Wisselmann, Senior Advisor, Automated Driving, BMW Group
said: ‌“There are great opportunities for the players when it comes to autonomous and connected cars. There are various tasks which can be delegated to an automated cars such as steering and lane monitoring. ‌Higher automation levels require more complex models uses of cars which require additional technologies and additional sensors. At BMW, safety is our first priority, we have studied the current safety situation and investigated cases of accidents to understand how such situations can be avoided,” said Dr Wisselmann.

At the panel discussion on Readiness for Automotive Mission Plan 2016-26 Mr
Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog said: “we are in the age of disruption whether we like it or not. In the latest Morgan Stanley Report, India will be the No. 1 market for auto and manufacturing of auto equipment. There are challenges of charging and standards. This can only be ensured by the state governments and that we need to deal with. How fast we can accelerate, involve subsidies. If we can ride this wave of disruption, we can generate a lot more jobs and growth,” he pointed out.

Mr Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Secretary, Ministry of Power said, “as of today, EV charging stations are not economically viable, as not many EV vehicles are on road. However, when the demand picks up, they will be viable. Government policy allows provate setting up of charging stations as long as they meet stipulated standards and safety measures”.

Dr Pawan Goenka, Past President, SIAM and Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra,
emphasised on the need for localising advanced technologies as this will help grow the industry and also create new employment opportunities. The auto industry needs to stay focussed on increasing its share to GDP from current 7.1% to 12% by 2026”

The series of sessions were titled “Transformations Vs Disruptions – The Enablers” followed by a special session titled “Focus on Future Technologies and “Readiness for Automotive Mission Plan 2016-26.

At the inaugural session of the SIAM convention, the speakers highlighted the need for a long term regulatory and policy roadmap for India’s auto sector and moderating GST taxation, as it heads towards global transition to electric vehicle and future mobility.

Dr Abhay Firodia, President, SIAM & Chairman, Force Motors urged the government to address the need for a long term regulatory policy roadmap for India’s auto sector. Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Mr Anant G Geete assured that the government would soon come out with the new auto policy and assured all aspects of the industry would be discussed with the industry and considered before finalizing the new auto policy.

Mr Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport, Highways announced exemption of commercial vehicles, buses, taxis and all vehicles running on alternative fuel from the permit requirements. As a long term focus areas for the government, he listed three areas (i) Reduce import (ii) Increase export (iii) reduce pollution.

About SIAM

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) is a not-for-profit apex national body representing all major vehicle and vehicular engine manufacturers in India. SIAM works towards supporting sustainable development of the Indian Automobile Industry with the vision that India emerges as the destination of choice in the world for design and manufacture of automobiles. It also works towards facilitating enhancement of the competitiveness of the Indian Automobile Industry, reducing cost of vehicles, increasing productivity and achieving global standards of quality.